For “Jupiter Ascending,” How Did They Create the Effect of Caine’s Levitating Boots?
Jupiter Ascending (2015) is a visual overload of special effects. It’s a master class of VFX production, with what seems like every frame of the piece requiring some visual handiwork. One of the most common visual effects throughout the course of the film are the gravity boots worn by Channing Tatum’s character, Caine. They allow him to effortlessly “skate” through air and are an essential component of his combat strategies. The shoes save his (and Jupiter’s) lives on numerous occasions and are fascinating to watch.
So how did they do it?
It appeared as though Caine was able to skate through space because for some sequences, that’s quite literally what was happening. Channing Tatum was put in rollerblades and skated around on halfpipes created on the set, which were removed in post production.
In other scenes, the actor was strapped into harness cables and skated on a custom-built, three-sided treadmill four meters long and two meters wide, while a crew of men controlled his harnesses. He often had to do this while carrying Mila Kunis or performing other physical movements.
